So many people feel stuck in jobs that don’t fulfill them, and the cultural expectation that work must provide meaning can actually deepen that dissatisfaction. In my conversations with Matt Wallaert, we’ve explored how setting boundaries with your manager and knowing when to walk away are acts of self-respect, not failure. Fulfillment often comes from reframing your mindset and bringing meaning to your work, or finding it beyond the job itself. Our Q&A in case you're interested in following our convo: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-do-you-know-when-its-time-leave-your-boss-steph-habif-edd-ms-tpdpf/?trackingId=2GRPOUW5Sm%2Bs8jwPTMwDHw%3D%3D
There’s something darkly comic about the fact that work, the thing we spend most of our waking hours doing, often feels like the least alive part of life. And yet, here we are, trying to reverse-engineer meaning from spreadsheets and Slack threads. Maybe fulfillment isn’t found or earned but smuggled in like contraband?
Love this! As someone who is a lifelong waiter and yet has a tremendous amount of life satisfaction, real contentment, and, even, joy, I completely resonated with this. What I have that many others (even those with “fulfilling” careers, which mine is not) don’t have is work-life balance and lots of time to spend doing exactly what I love. My 401k isn’t the best, though I will retire one day, but rather than wait for retirement, my whole life has been immensely fulfilling. Wouldn’t trade shoes with anybody.
Thanks, Nir - fortunately, writing content here on Substack has led to a better job at work where I’m able to share my knowledge
So many people feel stuck in jobs that don’t fulfill them, and the cultural expectation that work must provide meaning can actually deepen that dissatisfaction. In my conversations with Matt Wallaert, we’ve explored how setting boundaries with your manager and knowing when to walk away are acts of self-respect, not failure. Fulfillment often comes from reframing your mindset and bringing meaning to your work, or finding it beyond the job itself. Our Q&A in case you're interested in following our convo: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-do-you-know-when-its-time-leave-your-boss-steph-habif-edd-ms-tpdpf/?trackingId=2GRPOUW5Sm%2Bs8jwPTMwDHw%3D%3D
There’s something darkly comic about the fact that work, the thing we spend most of our waking hours doing, often feels like the least alive part of life. And yet, here we are, trying to reverse-engineer meaning from spreadsheets and Slack threads. Maybe fulfillment isn’t found or earned but smuggled in like contraband?
Scribbled on a napkin in the kitchen of Frequency of Reason: https://bit.ly/4jTVv69
Love this! As someone who is a lifelong waiter and yet has a tremendous amount of life satisfaction, real contentment, and, even, joy, I completely resonated with this. What I have that many others (even those with “fulfilling” careers, which mine is not) don’t have is work-life balance and lots of time to spend doing exactly what I love. My 401k isn’t the best, though I will retire one day, but rather than wait for retirement, my whole life has been immensely fulfilling. Wouldn’t trade shoes with anybody.
Thanks for the great piece and insight!
Mindset shift: Treating your “day job” as the engine that powers your lifes-work can free you from feeling trapped.
So, so good Nir. Wish you wrote this for me like 10 years ago!